Notes on a procurement job not described by its posting

Notes on a procurement job not described by its posting
Photo by Hunters Race / Unsplash

Or, job-posting that's jargon-general

I am looking at a job description for a contracts director that the overview explains requires both comprehensive pre- and postaward experience. The position's desired qualifications follow:

  • 10+ years of experience in contracts administration
  • 5+ years in State and Local contract management
  • Strong leadership skills with experience leading diverse teams
  • Excellent analytical and negotiation skills
  • Advanced knowledge of State and Local procurement regulations and Federal Acquisition Regulations

Hmm.

  • Why is it 10+ years in “contracts administration”? (Administration begins at award.) Is preaward less relevant? If so, write that exact fact, because colloquially, administration and management are the same. Conflating them here does not speak well of the poster. Is administration on either contract party’s side equally relevant (government vs. contractor)? Is administration purely backoffice administration or does it include reviewing project artifacts’ adherence to contractual timelines?
  • The “State and Local contract management” factor requires half the experience as administration (5 vs. 10 years), but here the scope includes preaward, the messy process requiring broader skill and agility to navigate vastly different tasks, levels of effort (recompete vs. new), and program cultures.
  • Does “diverse teams” refer to the members of the teams, their opinions and styles, or the scope of their work? Diverse has shifted in this context from a blank positive to a questioned negative. Edit to reflect current language use and accuracy. We are publishing, if electronically, after all. (Blogs with only one professional editor occasionally drop words, but each word matters more in a short posting, which is more akin to a poem.)
  • Why is leadership defined as skills-only with no requirement for direct reports or budget authority? A contracts director without executive experience often micromanages. They believe they are actually mitigating risk, because they don't make mistakes. These are common errors of judgment. Thinking, Fast and Slow is useful reading for business writers.
  • Which job seeker realistically assesses they fail the last two bullets? What does “advanced knowledge” mean? More of ... anything.

    Is it of underlying statutes, relevant case law, or general interpretation and application?

    Shouldn’t advanced FAR knowledge include understanding volume's organization, provision and clause matrix, and actual binding elements on contractors—the clauses incorporated into their contracts? Why are contract clauses so haphazardly selected, seemingly randomly included (not printed) in-full or by reference, and flat-out contradictory?

    Does anyone know how to use Part 12's clauses? I believe most people don't read 52.212-4 or -5 to discover they include subclauses for most of contract administration.

    Yes, the Christian doctrine fixes clause omissions, but most pleaders can't describe the doctrine they're relying on in lieu of clause knowledge and precision.

The broadness of these requirements promotes luck as the key determinant in candidate selection, and this anything-goes talent approach is the driver of acquisition failure. A little professionalism would go a long way.